NASCAR star Austin Hill reveals Cup Series contract hopes after unexpected promotion

NASCAR star Austin Hill has admitted that he's becoming more confident that he could perform as a full-time Cup Series driver.

The Richard Childress Racing veteran is 32 years old – a point in most drivers' careers where they've either reached the Cup Series or know they never will.

Hill admitted to The Athletic that he believed he would be in the latter category, but his time stepping in at the Cup level on short notice after the tragic death of Kyle Busch has given him some confidence that, if he gets a chance, he could carve out a late career at the highest level.

The veteran driver and superspeedway specialist is considered one of the leading candidates to drive the No. 33 in the Cup Series for RCR next year, although no announcement has been made by the team.

Hill: I thought I'd be an O'Reilly Series lifer

Fellow NASCAR river Erik Jones had passed along a question for Hill in the interview, asking where his career goals now stand after a tumultuous period of the year, running in both the O'Reilly and Cup Series every weekend.

Hill answered: I’d say after these last several weeks, and after things have calmed down a little bit, I’ve kind of transitioned gears. I’ve always told myself I’d go run Cup one day, but only if it was the right opportunity.

"If the right opportunity presented itself – whether at RCR or somewhere else – I would love to go run Cup for two or three years and really give myself a shot at it.

"I don’t think you can figure it out in one year. I think you need two or three solid years to try it and grind it out. These Cup drivers are so good. The teams are so good. Everybody’s so close in speed. I’d love the opportunity to run at that level and see how it turns out.

"I love where I’m at in the O’Reilly Series, but if there was ever a time to do it, now’s the time. I’m 32 years old. Like Erik said, I’ve been grinding it out in the O’Reilly Series for a long time. I kind of thought I’d be an O’Reilly Series lifer.

"But after these last several weeks, I’ve gained confidence in myself. I feel like I can run toe-to-toe with these guys. We’ve qualified well. We’ve shown really good speed. The finishes don’t really show how well we’ve run."